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This is a follow-up post about the serious situation in Japan. It is not about budo.

Since the earthquake on Friday 11 March and the devastation of the tsunami in the north of Japan things around Tokyo have been very still. There are still shortages of basic foods. Trains are still running very reduced services. There are still frequent aftershocks. The Japanese government is still very economical with information. The US Embassy and the British Embassy still tell people not to worry.

Now the French government has informed French people in Japan that they should leave Japan or go to the south of the country far from the affected areas. Extra flights are scheduled for evacuation of French nationals.

So that's the situation. No rice. No bread. Geiger counters. And the French government telling its citizens to get out of Dodge.

A British rescue team from International Rescue Corps came to Japan on Monday. They had helped in 32 countries before this and only ever had problems with the governments in China and Afghanistan. Here they couldn't get the right paperwork from the British Embassy. So they went back home on Wednesday. Disappointed probably wouldn't describe their feelings adequately.

We pray that everyone in Fukushima prefecture and Miyagi prefecture who doesn't have a home now has managed to find some shelter and warmth and food and water. Relief trucks don't have enough fuel. And tonight it is snowing with temperatures below zero Celsius/in the twenties Fahrenheit.

There are some live news blogging/information sites which are quite helpful like the Guardian, the BBC and CNN but by far the fastest, most comprehensive and best information is on the twitter links below.

great twitter sites

Great real-time information - thank you, thank you to all these guys for giving us real information as it happens

Thanks, Diana! Matsushima is a little group of islands opposite Sendai. It's one of the 3 beautiful scenic spots in Japan. I've been there by boat. That link also shows a haiku by Basho: Matsushima ah! A-ah, Matsushima, ah! Matsushima, ah! He was speechless at the beauty. We are all speechless now. But we mustn't be.

Daian again.... the pictures flashing thru my mind are of Japan about thirty five years ago. I had never been to Miyagi, but when I clicked on the blog about it I remembered that one of our favorite folk songs was "Matsushima."
The local weekly just came I can read that Japan Society in our city will be collecting donations, maybe I can help spread the word... Emotion is said to be the gift of the Kami, and so people are being moved by it to help...

Hi Niall, Thank you for keeping us connected. My husband is also concerned he reads updates on AOL usually twice a day and he has never even been to Japan. I guess I married the right guy! He understands! My connection to Japan is emotional because I lived there for a year and a half, my consciousness is of the visual type, and scenes from all over flash through the back of my mind these days, and of course prayers.

Really good work of the guys in twitter and all the people who are helping right now in the way they can. And if most of the people in the world are having that kind of good positives thoughts, maybe we all together can achieve that this nightmare will end soon.